Carson City is jam-packed with holiday events

A jam-packed holiday season of family-friendly activities, concerts, theater performances, parades and train rides with Santa are scheduled for Carson City now through the New Year.

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A jam-packed holiday season of family-friendly activities, concerts, theater performances, parades and train rides with Santa are scheduled for Carson City now through the New Year.

The Sierra Nevada Ballet will present the popular, “Peanutcracker — The Story in Nut Shell” with two shows at the Carson City Community Center on Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Pre-show entertainment starts 45 minutes before the shows with the Tintabulations Hand Bells at 1:15 p.m. and the Carson City Strings in the Schools performing at 6:15 p.m.

Song and dance favorites continue with two holiday productions of “The Little Mermaid Jr.,” at the Performance Hall of the Brewery Arts Center over three weekends. Show times for this Wild Horse Productions event are Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 2 p.m.

Carson City’s theater troupe, the Proscenium Players, will provide its take on the holidays with the Dickens-esque production of “A Christmas Chaos.” This is a family-friendly tale of mishaps, mistaken identities, mischief and merry mayhem. Shows are Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 7 and 8 at 7:30 and Dec. 2 and 9 at 2 p.m.

Holiday music

Strings in the Schools, Carson City Symphony’s after-school program, presents its third annual concert, “This is not a Christmas Concert” Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center. Directed by Carson City Symphony’s education director, Sue Jesch, it features beginning violinists in grades two through five, a youth string orchestra for all ages including adult mentors and STRAZZ, an advanced jazz and fiddle ensemble. For more information call 775- 450-5584.

The Carson City Symphony presents the 29th annual Holiday Treat concert on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center. The Symphony will be joined by the newly formed Carson City Symphony Chorus and the Victorian Dancers. Pre-concert entertainment begins at 3 p.m. Conducted by David Bugli, the symphony will perform several works of Christmas and Hanukkah music. Norma Conway’s Victorian Dancers will complement the music of Johann Strauss Jr. Tickets are available at Play Your Own Music in the Carson Mall, online at CCSymphony.com or at the door.

Holiday trains

Although the 2012 Polar Express train aboard the historic V&T Railway in Carson City has sold out, Santa Claus will make an express run on the Nevada State Railroad Museum’s steam train pulled by V&T Railway locomotive No. 25 for two December weekends. The museum’s Santa Train departs Carson City’s Wabuska Depot at the corner of Fairview Drive and U.S. 395 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1, 2, 15 and 16. Trains run continuously throughout the day. Each Santa Train trip leaves the depot as soon as Santa and passengers have boarded. Tickets are $3 per seat and available at the depot. Santa Trains are first come first served so passengers should arrive early. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the exhibits of magnificently restored locomotives and rolling stock in the museum’s main building before or after riding the Santa Train.

Festival of lights

Carson City’s annual Silver and Snowflake Festival of Lights has become so well received over the years that the 2012 festival will now run for two days. The enhanced event is Friday, Dec. 7, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. Friday night’s festivities begin on the Capitol grounds with the state tree, a bristlecone pine, and downtown Carson City being lit along with a procession including Santa, Mrs. Claus and the 300 voices of the Carson City fifth grade music students singing ensemble. Highlights include ice skating at the Arlington Square Ice Rink and the Carson Nugget serving caramel apples and roasted chestnuts at the Laxalt Plaza will highlight the night. The Santa parade along Carson Street from Musser Street to Telegraph Square starts at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Following the parade, merchants from around downtown Carson City will roll out their holiday fare at Telegraph Square. Ice skating, a bounce house and winter art contest make the event a day full of old-fashioned Nevada camaraderie and cheer.

Ice skating

With the arrival of cool weather and the holiday season, the Arlington Square Ice Rink across from the Carson Nugget offers outdoor ice skating in downtown Carson City. Family skate nights are Tuesdays, 6 to 9 p.m. Regular skate sessions are Monday through Thursday, 3 to 9 p.m., Fridays, 3 to 10 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Wine walks

Winter Wine Walks through historic downtown Carson City are the first Saturday of each month. The route features strolls through art galleries, restaurants and local shops. Tickets include a commemorative wine glass with a map of stops featuring wine, hors d’oeuvres and shops. Wine glasses and maps can be purchased at the Carson Nugget, Cactus Jacks, HorseShoe Club, Carson Jewelry and Loan or Bella Fiore.

In addition, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval will lead the sixth annual Wreaths Across America ceremony Monday, Dec. 3, to honor the nation’s veterans of military service. The Battle Born Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution event begins at 10 a.m. on the front steps of the Nevada State Capitol.

The Carson City Historical Society hosts its annual Christmas Party at Bliss Mansion, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. The three-story, 8,500 sq. ft. home was built in 1879 by millionaire and lumber magnate Duane L. Bliss. The sprawling 15-room Victorian was built in the Italianate style and was the largest and most elaborate home in Nevada at the time.